On October 12, during a press conference, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov gave his opinion on the Moldova government's recent foreign policy.
Mr. Peskov said that the current leadership in Moldova is making a "serious mistake" in choosing to face Russia to promote relations with the West.
"This is a continuation of an unfriendly confrontation with our country," Peskov said.
Mr. Peskov gave a comparison: "They believe that the path to building relations with Europe requires a complete confrontation with Russia. A country has made such a mistake. This does not bring any good to that country.
Although not directly named, the statement was interpreted by observers as a reference to Ukraine, which pursues a policy of leaning towards the West and is in conflict with Russia.
The Kremlin warning came just days after the Moldova government, led by President Maia Sandu, approved a new national military strategy on October 8. The document identifies Russia and its assistent policies as the biggest security threat to Moldovas territorial integrity for the first time.
Moldova is a small landlocked country between Romania and Ukraine. Since gaining independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the country has faced breakaway issues in the eastern Transnistria region.
This is an area with a majority of Russian speakers and has declared its independence from Moldova since the early 1990s. Russia is still maintaining a peacekeeping force of about 1,500 troops in Transnistria despite opposition from the moldovan government. This military presence is one of the main reasons Moldova considers Russia a threat.
